Top 5 Unhealthy Foods Masquerading as Health Foods

Eating healthy is challenging enough, thanks to all of the processed, frozen, canned, and packaged foods that are easy and available to eat on the go when you’re pressed for time. But sticking to a truly healthy diet is further complicated when you consider the fact that many “health foods” aren’t really all that healthy after all.

Below is a list of the top five unhealthy foods that are masquerading as health foods.

Fruit Juices

Fruit juices are touted as healthy. However, many of the juices that you’ll find on supermarket shelves aren’t made from actual fruit. Check ingredient labels and you may find high amounts of sugar and artificial flavors that are added. Keep in mind that there are many names for sugar, so labels can also be misleading.

Even if you purchase 100% juice, you should do so in moderation. Fruit juice, like fruit itself, has a high sugar content. Again, check labels and you may find that your favorite fruit juice contains roughly the same amount of sugar as any other unhealthy sugary drink.

Agave

Agave syrup is touted as a healthy alternative to high fructose corn syrup. Depending on how it’s processed, it can contain between 55-90% fructose. Compare this to high fructose corn syrup, which has roughly 55% fructose, and you’ll see why this food isn’t very healthy after all.

Yogurt

Yogurt can be really good for your body, as it contains protein, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics. However, you should read ingredients labels because many brands use high amounts of sugar, along with artificial sweeteners, flavors, additives, and colors, officially rendering their foods unhealthy.

Breakfast Cereals

So many breakfast cereals market themselves as being a healthy way to start your day, full of vitamins and minerals, grains and fruits – but be sure to double and triple check what’s actually in them to verify whether they’re something you want to put in your body. Most cereals are highly processed, full of sugar and chemicals.

Margarine

In spite of all the health claims margarine manufacturers plaster on their packaging. This is one “health food” that you’ll definitely want to steer clear of. Most brands have removed the trans fats that used to be part of using margarine. However, this butter substitute is still basically just a bunch of chemicals – not something you want to be eating on a regular basis. Even though butter contains fat, it’s much healthier than margarine.

When shopping for healthy foods, it’s important to look past health claims on product labels. Instead, analyze the ingredients and nutrition facts. This will help you avoid falling victim to unhealthy foods pretending to be nutritious.

Luckily, Promax makes your choice easy, when it comes to protein bars. Promax products contain high quality ingredients that are actually good for you. For more information about Promax, check out our product page or our blog.